[Membersandfriends] Friday, November 26, 2004

Thu Nov 25 22:02:13 PST 2004

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Friday, November 26, 2004

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The Gift that Lasts All Year

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PRAYING FOR ME!
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James 5:13-18 (NRSV)

Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.

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Paul wrote, "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone."
- 1 Timothy 2:1 (NRSV)
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MY third pregnancy was a difficult one.  Then, because of complications during the birth, I ended up in the intensive care unit at our local hospital.  During my stay, the chaplain of the hospital came to visit me to tell me she was praying for my recovery.  This was my first experience of hearing someone say he or she was praying for me.

I was amazed.  Someone I didn't even know was praying for me!  And this was only the beginning.  When I finally got out of intensive care, everywhere I turned people told me they were praying for me.  It was wonderful to know that so many people -- some of whom had never even met me -- cared enough to intercede for my needs.  

A few months after this experience, I gave my life to Christ.  That was 25 years ago.  Before this traumatic event I had rarely given a second thought to prayer.  Now daily intercession is a vital part of my prayer life because I consider myself a living testimony to the power of intercessory prayer.

Prayer:  Loving God, thank you for the privilege of praying for others.  Help us to remember someone somewhere who needs our prayers today.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
When we pray for others, we help to move them toward God.

-- Linda E. Knight (Ontario, Canada)

PRAYER FOCUS: Patients in intensive care

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RELATED READING ...

PRAYER, STRESS, AND OUR INNER WOUNDS invites you to "open the door to God's love" as you ask for God's mercy and strength in getting you through the hard times.  God's grace moves through this book allowing you to confront your own needs and pains.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=12543

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The scripture quotation is from the NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION of the Bible, copyright (c) 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.